08/12/2010
Dough Co. pleases with pasta, pizza
By Susan Koomar - skoomar@citizensvoice.com - Citizens' Voice Features Editor
Photo by Susan Koomar/Citizens' Voice

The success of the Dough Company is based on owner Ralph DelPriore's simple philosophy.

"Just try to take care of the customer. It's kind of hard when you're making 100 pizzas, but each one is equally important," he said.

The busy Kidder Street restaurant is celebrating its 25th anniversary. An original menu from 1985 hangs in the lobby, summoning nostalgia for prices like 50 cents for a glass of Rolling Rock and $4.25 for spaghetti with meat balls.

DelPriore, who grew up in the restaurant business, still tries to provide good value in his casual, family-friendly eatery. Every Sunday, a dinner of salad, spaghetti and meatballs is $6.99.

Patrons who fill out comment cards are entered into a database and receive a $10 gift certificate or coupons by mail. There are 17,000 names in the database and the addresses - Mountain Top, Nanticoke, Pittston - show the Dough Company draws diners from throughout the valley.

Soups (chicken noodle is a best seller) and sauces are made from scratch. The menu includes pagach, a blend of cheese, mashed potatoes and a touch of onions inside a double crust of homemade dough. Other choices include stromboli, hoagies and dough zones, which use dough flattened like a pizza, stuffed with ingredients (e.g. cheese steak or chicken wing) folded over and baked. A dough zone costs $6.99.

The menu features a selection of smaller sized portions at reduced prizes including fettucine alfredo ($5.99), penne and vodka sauce ($5.99), and blue crab meat ravioli ($7.99).

The Dough Company serves draft and bottled beer and wine by the glass (Chianti, Lambrusco, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and White Zinfandel).

Gourmet pizzas include shrimp scampi, greek and French onion (thick slices of carmelized onions with cheddar and provolone).

Troy Byers has been the restaurant's general manager for 10 years.

Reflecting on 25 years in business, DelPriore concluded, "I'm grateful for all our customers."

The Dough Company: 824-1003; www.thedoughcompany.com